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History and Jurisdiction

The U. S. House of Representatives created the House Select Committee on Small Business in 1941 as a means to provide direct oversight and consideration of matters affecting small firms. This Select Committee was reauthorized each Congress until 1975, when it was made a permanent standing committee of the House. As a result, it was given certain areas of legislative jurisdiction and the specific responsibility to oversee the wide-range of challenges facing small businesses. Today, the Committee continues to serve this original purpose as the House's primary venue for small business policy matters.

Specifically, the Committee's jurisdiction is articulated in the Rules of the House Representatives. The legislative jurisdiction of the Committee on Small Business is delineated in House Rule X(1)(q):

(q) Committee on Small Business.
(1) Assistance to and protection of small business, including financial aid, regulatory flexibility, and paperwork reduction.
(2) Participation of small-business enterprises in Federal procurement and Government contracts.

The Committee also has a special oversight function, as delineated in House Rule X(3)(l) as follows:

(l) The Committee on Small Business shall study and investigate on a continuing basis the problems of all types of small business.